Fallout New Origins
by TheIronGiant
Summary: The Courier leaves the Mojave with Cass. He has one question, but just how far will he go to find the answer.
1. Prologue

Prologue

2281 October 19th: The Courier wakes up in Goodsprings, and then swears vengeance on the men that left him for dead.

2282 March 13th: With the help of ten thousand Mk II securitrons the Courier defeats Caesars Legion; after the battle is over he uses the securitrons to force all NCR military personnel out of the Mojave and back to California. The Courier then takes control of the Hoover Dam and New Vegas with the help of his securitrons.

2282 April 6th: After many weeks of negotiations the Courier reins in order by forming the United Mojave Alliance. The first members to join are The Boomers, The BoS, The Great Khans, all the factions on the Strip, and The Followers of the Apocalypse.

2282 April 11th: The Constitution of the UMA is drafted and the UMA Council is formed; the Boomers, the BoS, the Khans, the Strip, and the Followers are given seats on the Council.

2282 April 28th: The securitrons are stored back under the weather monitoring station. The Chairmen and the Omerta's are to act as local law enforcement for the Strip while the Brotherhood guards the dam. The Boomers, after given control of the Searchlight airport, guard both the northern and southern borders. The Khans are low on manpower so one hundred Mk II securitrons are sent to guard the western borders until the Khans fully recover their numbers. The Followers are given access to technology from the Lucky 38 and Big Mt. The Brotherhood is given control of HELIOS One, the REPCONN headquarters, and the REPCONN test site. The Boomers are given planes and bombers from Camp McCarran to repair and study. The Great Khans are given back Bitter Springs and the surrounding area.

2282 May 22nd: The Kings join the UMA and are given a seat on the Council. With their help Freeside joins as well and the Kings continue to act as the local law enforcement for Freeside.

2282 August 20th: The Courier begins negotiations with representatives from all the towns and settlements in the Mojave.

2282 August 27th: After an exhausting week of negotiations, North Vegas and Westside sign under the UMA but maintain their relationship with New Vegas as independent entities. The towns of Goodsprings, Primm, Novac, and the repopulated town of Nipton all join the UMA. Each town having worked out their specific terms and conditions.

2283 February 4th: The Courier asks the Council for volunteers from all towns and factions across the Mojave to form a military for the UMA. Up until this point the Mojave settlements were protected by local militias. The number of UMA citizens that respond is staggering, three hundred and seventy-five men and women. They are sent to Camp McCarran to be trained by Brotherhood paladins and some volunteers from the Boomers. Some of the soldiers who do exceptionally well are hand picked by the Courier to join the Mojave Guardians.

**Mojave Guardians**: A hand picked special task force specializing in covert operations, assassinations, sabotage missions, VIP extraction, and intelligence gathering. They operate by themselves or in pairs.

2283 February 5th: The Mojave Wasteland is united under one flag.

2283 June 6th: The Courier sends securitrons and repair bots to the pump stations, New Vegas Steel, The Quarry, H&H Tools Factory, and Hoover Dam. It takes months but the pump stations and brought back online after the flood damage has been repaired. New Vegas Steel is made operational again and begins production of Mk III securitrons; which are designed for labor and construction rather than combat. Mk II and Mk III securitrons sent to the Quarry securing the area and work begins again. All the generators at Hoover Dam are brought back online and supply power to all of the Mojave.

2283 October 21st: Two thousand Mk IV securitrons are designed and manufactured as improved versions of the Mk II's. They are faster, smarter, and more heavily armored.

2284 January 28th: Eight hundred NCR soldiers still loyal to General Oliver invade the Mojave, without orders from President Kimball, to take back the dam sparking the first official military campaign of the UMA.

2284 January 30th: In retaliation to the invasion the generals of the UMA lead five hundred soldiers into battle backed by three hundred Mk IV securitrons. The Courier dispenses Guardians for assassination, infiltration, and sabotage operations. The Guardians manage to infiltrate and extract NCR VIP's from behind enemy lines with no casualties.

2284 July 7th: The UMA's first military campaign comes to an end after General Oliver's forces surrender. The death toll comes to one hundred and fifty-four UMA soldiers KIA. Twelve Guardians are KIA but listed publicly as MIA to keep up moral. Three hundred thirty-two NCR troopers KIA. The Courier personally oversees the capture and transport of General Lee Oliver. All remaining enemy POWs are escorted by thirty Guardians through the Mojave Outpost back into NCR territory.

2284 July 9th: After the memorials are completed General Oliver is publicly executed by firing squad. He is charged with the war crimes committed by NCR troops he led into the Mojave on July 28th. He is charged for the murder of 32 civilians, forced labor of POWs, the torture of POWs, and the execution/murder of 47 POWs.

2284 August 7th: A service is held for the families of the dead and monuments for the fallen are erected in each town or settlement. The monuments are simple; two life size sculptures of UMA soldiers are holding battle rifles. The soldier on the left is standing at attention and the one on the right is leaning casually against a large memorial plaque framed by solid granite. The memorials list the names and birthdates of every soldier that was KIA.

2284 August 8th: The UMA Council and Kimball sign a treaty reopening the Mojave Outpost. Hoping to end hostilities between the two nations in exchange for excess power from the dam and open trade routes.

2284 December 1st: All major roads have been repaired; the walls of New Vegas have been replaced with concrete from The Quarry; The H&H factory is mass producing materials to replace and improve the existing infrastructure of the UMA.

2285 April 8th: Present day.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**The Courier**

Present day 0800 hours, Lucky 38 presidential suite:

A man in an armored vault suit. He's sitting on a rocky outcropping beside a highway. Waiting. A caravan is ambushed. The guards are killed. The caravaneer is captured. She begs for her life.

"Oh hush missy, it'll be alright; I just want a little fun is all. It'll be-"

"The biggest mistake you ever made." The man in the tattered vault suit appeared beside the raider. His voice is familiar. The hammer clicks. The raider's head explodes with a boom.

* * *

The Couriers eyes snapped open and he found himself staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, the Lucky 38's presidential suit. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked to his right. A wave of emotion flooded his heart. Cass had draped her arm across his stomach and laid her head on his chest. A faint smile and a few locks of her red hair obscuring her beautiful face. The Courier brushed the hair behind her ear and kissed the top of her head. Her smile grew slightly and she mumbled something before rolling over onto her side. He quietly extracted himself from the bed. He snatched up his cloths and his boots. It was still early so, not wanting to wake her, he went to the bathroom to dress.

The near constant fighting for survival and traveling the wastelands had not been kind to the Couriers body. At twenty seven years old he had reached his prime; and now the years of hardship were starting to show. He looked into the mirror at the man that was staring back at him. He stood roughly six feet and some inches tall with sun bleached brown hair, his eyes were a dark brown that almost looked black. He had scars, burns, and bullet wounds all across his broad shoulders and down his back, and each scar told a story.

After pulling on his combat pants he adjusted the knee plates so they fit comfortably. Then came the arduous task of lacing the combat boots. After spending five minutes making sure the laces were perfect, he secured one of his bullet belts with the .44 revolver in its holster. He made a note in his Pip-Boy about the dream so that he could visit Dr. Usanagi later. He looked down into the porcelain sink letting his mind wander.

He had asked her about the dreams in the hopes that it would help him remember anything about who he was. He had been going to her for help over the past few weeks and her theory was that the man in his dreams was him. The man certainly fit the bill, but the dreams were brief and unclear. He had seen landmarks of the old world in the dreams and if Usanagi was right, then he had to go find them. The fact that it might trigger something was enough to make him want to pack up and leave. But he couldn't do that. Not now anyway, so he closed his eyes. He concentrated hard on the voice, the people, and the locations…nothing. He was frustrated with himself for not being able to remember despite the fact that it was out of his control.

A pair of arms snaked through his own and around his waist, Cass had woken up to an empty bed. His side of the bed was still warm so she knew he hadn't gone far.

"You had another dream." She stated more as a fact than a question. She waited as he stayed silent; knowing he was still partially lost in thought so she'd give him time to respond.

"I did." He turned to face her and looked into her eyes. "I've been thinking about it a lot, and with Usanagi's help I know the places in my dreams are real, the landmarks and monuments. If I ever want to remember who I am…my best chance to leave. I have to go to those places." His eyes searched hers for a reaction. "But I can't just leave you and our-" he was cut off by a slap to the face. It wasn't hard, but it definitely wasn't soft either.

"Don't you dare get all 'macho-man' protective over me." She said with a scowl, but a smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth.

The Courier was grinning, he pulled her into a bear hug, "There's the woman I love, good morning honey." He was rewarded for his greeting with a shot to the kidney, making him grunt in pain and loosen his grip.

Cass slipped out of his arms, "And don't get all lovey-dovey on me either, asshole." She laughed. To say that the Courier and Cass had a strange relationship was like saying radiation is dangerous. Everyone knew it but nobody really understood it. "I'll go make some coffee. Cook up some of those gecko eggs we've got in refrigerator." She said walking to the kitchen, "And stop starring at my ass!"

* * *

After breakfast they went up to the penthouse to relax on some of the many couches and chairs. As they looked out over the city the Courier couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. He had helped craft this, the Mojave was a safer place because of his actions. It was a rising power on par with the NCR, and everyone knew it.

The Courier was gazing out the window at New Vegas when it hit him like a brick wall. "Look out the window and tell me what you see." He said without looking back at Cass.

"I'd say I see New Vegas," Cass responded. "But there's something else you see isn't there?"

The Courier nodded, "I just realized that the Mojave doesn't need me to push it in the right direction anymore, it's too big for that now. With the Council making most of the decisions 'The Courier," he used his fingers to make air quotes, "is nothing more than an urban legend." He wasn't sad about it, if the smirk on his face was anything to go by he was happy. "That's a good thing; I can stop bothering with all the political bullshit. I can focus on finding answers."

"You're going to the places from your dreams…" Cass hesitated. "That's not exactly close by. It'll take years for you to get there."

The Courier paused, "You've got two things wrong," He turned to look Cass in the eye. "First off, I won't be going alone. At least I hope I won't." He looked at Cass for a response.

"It's about damn time we got back on the road!" She yelled at him smiling. "It's been too long since we've traveled farther than the road to Novac. What was the second thing though?"

"It's not going to take years." He grinned. "It'll only take a few weeks. Remember when I took a few of the Guardians to capture Oliver's second in command?" He asked, "We came back a week before schedule with our VIP and three vertibirds. It's amazing how much distraction and panic you can cause with a few well-timed explosions." He said remembering the night.

* * *

**2284 April 20th, 0200 hours**

"It's a pretty nice place for a temporary base of operation." The Courier muttered under his breath observing Moore's command tent, it was two in the morning and they had just executed phase one of the extraction. They had Moore, who was unconscious, crammed into one of the two wooden supply boxes. The second box was half full of ammo and intel they gathered from CO's tent.

"Yes sir it is…" Mitch, aka Guardian-two, grumbled quietly wiring the distraction. "Sir, the C4 is hot n' ready." He stated with a slightly proud undertone.

"Alright men, just like we planned." Neil, aka Guardian-three, grinned. "Drinks on me if we pull this off without firing a round." Neil always found light in situations like this. Here the three of them were forty klicks behind enemy lines preforming a covert operation and twenty klicks past any hope of reinforcements. Their objective was to extract Brigadier General Cassandra Moore, who had been promoted from colonel, from the middle of the NCR's base of operations. The idea behind mission was to convince the NCR that it didn't matter where they drew the front lines on their war maps; that nowhere was safe. It weakened the overall morale and at the same time it removed some major commanding officers.

The three of them had collected solid intel that the NCR was preparing shock troopers for an attack on Primm to end a three day siege. They also had intel suggesting that Cassandra Moore was stationed at that very same base. So the Courier opted to send himself and two Guardians to perform an extraction to cripple the chain of command and find a way to stop the shock troopers.

"Alright," the Courier stood straightening his NCR uniform. "Neil you're helping me with Moore's crate," he said as the two lifted the crate with ease. "Mitch you've got the other crate. Remember our alibi; we're just transporting some extra supplies to the vertibirds."

"Roger that, let's get going. I can't stand this NCR outfit; it chafes in all the wrong places." Mitch complained.

"We can get you some baby powder when we get back to friendly territory." Neil grunted.

"Can the chatter you two, we're oscar-mike." The Courier snapped.

"Yes sir," both of them echoed.

They made their way out of the tent and turned left toward the vertibirds that were one hundred yards away from the CO's tent. There were a few guards patrolling the base however most of them were guarding the outskirts in observation towers. A sergeant came out of the tent suddenly and bumped into Mitch. Fuck.

"Hey now, what's the hurry men?" The sergeant asked with an eyebrow raised. Mitch had to recover quickly or risk compromising phase two of the operation.

"Sorry sergeant, we're loading up a few last minute supplies for the heavy troops tomorrow. You can never have too much ammo." Mitch replied confidently.

"I heard that." The sergeant laughed, "Tomorrow we give those bastards the what-for, it'll teach them what happens when you piss on the Bear." He nodded before walking off. "As you were, soldiers."

"Yes sir," Mitch returned the gesture. The three of them continued through the maze of tan tents and fire pits to the landing pads, passing only one other patrol. When they got to the landing pads they loaded Moore and the intel onto the first vertibird. Both crates were strapped into the cargo net so that they wouldn't shift during the flight.

"Alright men, remember your training in the flight simulators and this'll go off without a hitch. Neil go to the vertibird down there," the Courier said pointing at the bird on the opposite end of the pad. "I want Mitch to be able to see my signal."

They had Moore, now they had to extract her. It was time to execute phase two. Mitch got into his vertibird and looked to his left for less than a minute before turning back to the Courier. He gave a thumbs up, the signal that Neil was in his bird ready for lift off The Courier took one last glance at the base and gave Mitch the signal to blow the roof off of this base.

Reaching into his pocket he retrieved the detonator, he always loved when things went smoothly. Mitch looked out at the camp with his finger on the detonator, "And here, we…go." He pulled the trigger and on the other side of the camp the mess hall exploded in a ball of fire. Mitch had placed it next to the fuel supply for the stoves. Panic. Their engines roared to life as the trigger was pulled again. Fifty yards outside the base three massive explosions shuddered through the camp. Diversion. The vertibirds were in the air, turning to make their getaway, when Mitch pulled the trigger for the third and final time. The CO's tent, in the heart of the base, was blown to kingdom come as the vertibirds made their way back to UMA territory.

"Well done men. Neil, I'm looking forward to that hooch you're buyin' me," laughed Mitch through the squad radio.

"Stay frosty you two, we're still executing phase two." The Courier scolded them through the radio, and then laughed. "But god damn it, I love when a plan comes together like that! Good work, that'll send them all the way back to the planning board."

They flew all night and at five in the morning they could see the UMA boarder. "Mojave Outpost Bravo, this is Guardian-one actual, how copy over?"

After a few moments of static someone answered, "Solid copy, this is Mojave Outpost Bravo, go ahead."

"Requesting permission to land, we're flying three enemy birds. We've got solid intel and one pissed off NCR officer in custody."

"Roger that, you've been cleared for landing. Welcome home Guardians."

**Present day 0930 hours**

"So," he said walking over to the couch where Cass was sitting, her feet kicked up onto the table. "We'll take one of the birds, some supplies, and scram tomorrow morning." He sat down next to the one person who loved to travel as much as he did. "What do you think?"

She looked at him hard with a gaze that could make a deathclaw turn tail and head for the hills. After a full minute her gaze finally slipped and she smirked, "I can't think of a better way to get back onto the road." She pulled him into a lung crushing hug. Her voice no louder than a whisper, "And I've always wanted to see the east coast."

**Authors note**: There's a few shameless movie references in here somewhere, see if you can spot them, some are harder than others to spot. I had most of this written so the next chapter will take a little while longer.

**The Courier**. I know it's pretty obvious who he is but it's more a tale of him finding out the truth of who he was for himself, and if he was a good person before he lost his memory.

**The Courier and Cass**. It's probably been done before but I'm trying my hand at it. She's not the type that falls head over heels once she meets the 'right guy'. In the game she tells you that she isn't looking for anything more than someone to travel with, but that's the game…and this is my story. She maintains her gruff and tuff personality from the game, but the two of them do have deep feelings for each other and they will show it in private. But mostly it'll be like the relationship you have with Cass in the game.

**The UMA**. Will not be a big part of the story for much longer…

**Skyrim**. They will find their way into Tamriel eventually, so stay tuned.

**P.S.** Please let me know what you'd like to see happen. Ideas, suggestions, and criticism are always welcome. It lets me know that people are actively reading what I write.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was silent at the meeting table, everyone was gathered for an emergency meeting the day before by the Courier. Victor rolled into the meeting room "Alright now that everyone's here we can start."

"Where is he Victor? He gathered all of us are here for a reason." The North Vegas Council member asked, holding his chin with one hand and tapping the table with his other.

"Settle your spurs there cow poke, he wanted everyone to be present for this meeting. I've got a recording to show that'll explain everything." Victor said with his usual gung-ho cowboy attitude. Victor's face disappeared and in its place the Courier filled the screen standing on the roof of the Lucky 38.

"Is it recording? Yes? Alright," he cleared his throat. "I am resigning as head of the Council; I've left my mark on the Mojave. Now it's time for the Council to guide the UMA. The UMA is thriving right now and it doesn't need 'The Courier' anymore. Honestly he's just an urban legend. I'm no politician," he laughed. "I'm just another road-jockey." The Courier paused and took on a serious tone. "I left to find answers about who I am. I don't know when or even if I'll return, so don't bother trying to find me. I left a letter for Mitch and Neil that leaves them in charge of the Guardians. You are the Council, the ruling hand of the UMA. If nothing else, remember this…the UMA was created for the good of the Mojave, and she's been good to me. Don't let me down." The screen went black then Victor's face reappeared.

Everyone was silent for a long moment before Marcus broke the silence, "He will be missed." Simple but that simple sentence summed up what everyone was thinking. Everything on the video was true; The Courier had finally folded his cards and cashed his chips; he was out of the game.

**Three mile's from DC**

"Recognize anything yet?" Cass asked over the noise of the rotor blades. They had traveled for a week and made a few stops along highways that seemed familiar from the air but nothing had clicked yet.

"Not yet," he admitted. "But I saw the Washington monument in most of thedreams; it's always in the skyline somewhere so maybe that's a good place to check out." The east coast was drastically different from the Mojave. Everything was slowly becoming the same shade of grey with no sign of plant life anywhere. "I'm glad I packed those MRE's eh Cass. Not much to hunt out here."

"Of course, thank you so much!" she exclaimed overdramatically, "Whatever would I have done without you and your MRE's?" She and the Courier shared a laugh. "But you're right about there not being anything to hunt, how do people survive out here?"

They had seen a few buildings here and there, most of the large buildings had been reduced to rubble, but they were approaching the big landmark; one of the most recognizable monuments on either coast. The Washington Monument. It was surrounded by what had been considered the heart of the old world government; most of which was now ashes or rubble.

He spotted what looked like an old world military base. It had an enormous landing strip with a destroyed…something in the middle; Hangers lined the southern end of the air strip. The huge wreckage had four vertibirds on it, but they were all twisted piles of scrap metal. It looked like someone had dropped some heavy artillery on it. "We'll set the bird down on top of that big thing," Then he laughed, "I don't even know what to call it, look at the size of that thing."

He touched down on what was left of the landing pad. "Alright suit up, we're outa here in ten minutes." They had both been flying in their armor, being a courier and a caravaneer made wearing their armor for long periods of time a fact of life.

Cass wore hardened gecko hide armor with metal plating on her forearms and shins. Her shoulder pauldrons had been doubled up with both leather and light metal plating over top of the leather. She had them strapped together across her shoulder blades in the back, and just under her neck line in the front. Her chest plate looked like a Kevlar vest with big pockets on the belt. Her thighs were protected by more metal woven into Gecko hide; the knee pads were from an old suit of combat armor she'd taken from the Van Graffs. She still wore her cowgirl boots though; she'd been very adamant about keeping them. In her bag she had packed her caravan shotgun, as well as her new riot shotgun with plenty of ammo for both weapons.

The Courier wore his elite riot armor from the Divide. The plates on his forearms were worn and dented from bullets ricocheting off of them. He had pockets on both biceps under heavy metal shoulder pauldrons that covered right up to his neck without sacrificing maneuverability; they had straps on the front and back similar to Cass's armor. His body armor wasn't very flexible but it made up for that in the protection it offered; it had a small half-circle plate that covered his throat. A bullet belt was slung across his shoulder with .308 AP rounds; two more belts were around his waist holding .44 magnum ammo for his revolver. His legs lacked the amount of armor he had on his upper body. He wore combat pants with heavy metal knee pads and combat boots with two strips of armor plating on the front and back of the boots. In his bag he brought his battle rifle with fifteen magazines and extra ammo on the belt that was strapped across his chest.

The Courier looked around and saw the vertibirds were burned and twisted beyond recognition. Looking to the east he saw a break in the mountains, "Over there, through that building, that's where we're headed." He and Cass grabbed their bags, slung them over their shoulders, and began the decent off of the wreckage. It was only once they were on the ground that the Courier realized he'd landed on an old world crawler, a vehicle used to transport rockets that launched satellites into space.

"Holy shit that thing's huge, and it's got treds like one of those old world tanks. You think they use to drive this thing?" Cass asked, not taking her eyes off of the crawler. She had no idea what someone would do with something that big or why they'd bother to build it.

"It's a crawler; they launched satellites into space with it." The Courier explained, "A big fuckin waste of money if you ask me." He turned and headed south toward the building that lead through the mountains, "We're on foot for the rest of the way so stay frosty." he said it only as a warning that they should be careful, but Cass thought it was funny.

Cass had a good laugh after he told her to 'stay frosty', "Don't talk to me like I'm one of your Guardians, alright. I know how to take care of myself. Let's get into those buildings," she suggested. "Being out in the open like this makes me feel like someone is watching us."

The hair on the back of the Couriers neck was suddenly standing on end. "Keep your eyes forward, we're being followed," he said under his breath. "Turn right, we'll go into one of those hangers and find some cover. Weapons ready, so only fire if they fire first." His gut was telling him to turn and fire so he quickened his pace.

The hanger, like all the others, had big holes in it's roof. There were big metal crates to the left and right of the door. There was a cat walk that ran parallel with the entrance with metal crates on it that could be used as cover. "Hide behind the crates on the left; I'm going for the catwalk. If they start shooting you toss 'em a grenade bouquet." The Courier didn't bother to look back; he ran and jumped, grabbing hold of the railing and pulled himself up and over. No time for stairs. He waited…and waited. Then he heard voices enter the hanger.

A mans voice echoed through the hanger. "That kid has a lot of nerve showing up after eight years…where the fuck did he go anyway?"

A woman's voice replied, "Maybe he went out through the back; he must have heard your noisy ass when you kicked that tin can and just wanted to get back to the Capitol Wasteland. He probably came back to see Amata." The voices were now passing under him. He saw Brotherhood sigils on the pauldrons of their power armor.

"They must be the eastern chapter that was sent to D.C." Thought the Courier, "How do they know me though…" Then he realized he hadn't put on his helmet. He placed his bag on the catwalk quietly and right when they were under him he jumped down on them. He kicked with both feet, striking voice one's head and knocking him out cold. The woman turned to him and before she could raise her laser rifle he punched it with all his might. It must have been pretty old because it snapped clean in half with a crackle of electricity. In a flash he had his battle rifle raised, sights trained on her unarmored head. He backed away from her putting distance between them. "Cass!" he yelled, not taking his eyes off the blonde.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" The blonde yelled looking at him in disbelief. "What the fuck is wrong with you Mike!"

"How do you know who I am?" The Courier asked calmly. The man groaned and reached for his weapon. The Courier fired once and shattered the barrel of the plasma rifle.

"Oh god-damn it!" The man shouted looking at the destroyed plasma rifle. "That was my favorite one you ass!"

"Stay down on the ground if you want to keep your knees working." Cass said from behind the two in a deadly calm voice. "Now I'll ask you, how do you guys know him…"

Sarah was dumb struck; he didn't remember her or Kodiak. What happened to him? "Mike it's me, Sarah…"

As soon as she said her name the Couriers mind was flooded with memories. Adams Air Force base. Enclave. Control center in the crawler. Suicide mission. Orbital strike on the crawler. He had fired it. A vertibird. Sarah was in the vertibird. Victory…

The Courier found himself on the ground clutching his head. He heard footsteps coming towards him and reacted on instinct. He was down on one knee and she was approaching his left side. He kicked out at her foot that was in mid step. She toppled over and he rolled away and in a flash had the revolvers sights trained right between her eyes. "Who. Am. I." he asked, his voice full of emotion, his hand shaking slightly. "I've traveled a long way for answers."

Sarah was in shock, but a load noise snapped her out of her trance. He'd pulled the hammer back on his revolver. "Your name is Michael! you were raised in vault 101, your father left the vault when you were nineteen to continue his work on Project Purity. Project Purity is a purifier in the Jefferson memorial. It's slowly purifying the Potomac tidal basin of the Capitol Wasteland. You disappeared four and a half years ago after destroying Adams Air Force base; the Enclave's last base of operation. The one we're standing in right now. You disappeared without a trace after that. Please lower the gun, you don't want to do this, you're a friend of the Brotherhood. You're my friend."

"Michael…" The Courier mumbled, "Well, ain't that a kick in the head." He had already rediscovered his name. That was a step in the right direction, he holstered his revolver. "Sarah…" A new wave of memories pounded throughout his brain. Brotherhood. The Citadel. The Lyons Pride.

"We've got a vertibird, can we take it to the Citadel?" He was looking off into the distance when he asked Sarah. He was lost in thought, trying to remember more about who he was and going to the Citadel seemed like the best bet.

"Hold on," Cass spoke up in a tone that said 'slow down stupid'. "You're taking this too fast, how the fuck do we know we can trust her?" Cass still had her shot gun trained on Kodiak; he remembered that name, he was the 'jack of all trades' of the Lyons Pride.

Michael looked up at Cass, "Because she saved my life."

**Author's Note:**

This chapter was short, Skyrim is coming so look forward to that. Thanks to everyone who has posted reviews, it lets me know that people are actively reading my story; it's also a huge motivational booster as well as a good way for you guys to give me ideas and suggestions. Stay tuned for Chapter 3 sometime next week. I haven't played the mission at Adams Air Force Base in a long time so the description is everything I remember.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I'm sorry I didn't get this out sooner; I wish I had an excuse other than massive writer's block. I must've rewritten the end half at least four times, all completely different from this one. I've decided on a direction to head in; the crossover…isn't in the next chapter, maybe the one after that…I want to develop the characters more and set the stage so it makes sense as to how they end up in Skyrim.

* * *

Michael led the way back to the crawler, lost in thought with mixed feelings about the memories that had resurfaced. The memories of his time spent in the Capitol Wasteland reminded him that he was not always the powerful warrior that had saved New Vegas and had steered the Mojave towards a better future. He was once a coward that hid behind guns for hire and others that had followed him through the wastes.

"What's on your mind, Mike?" It was strange to hear Cass call him by his birth name; but he was glad that he had a name that he could call his own.

He was silent for a moment before replying, "I was a fuckin coward." He growled, "I hid behind others while they fought to protect me." He was clearly agitated by the new discovery of his past.

"Well look how far you've come, you saved the west coast almost single handedly; but we both know you couldn't have done it without me. You're not a coward in my eyes, or in the eyes of the Guardians." She saw his posture relax slightly as he mulled what she had told him.

They reached the bottom of the crawler and Michael studied the wreckage looking for a possible path that he could use to get to the top. "Cass," he motioned to her and pointed up at the wreckage, "The pipes running along the exposed walls should lead us right back to the top."

Sarah and Kodiak caught up to the pair staring up at the twisted metal wreckage, "How the hell are we going to get up to the deck?"

Rather than answer her question he glanced at Cass who nodded in confirmation, "Climb." He ran full speed at the wreckage. When he reached the side of the metal behemoth he jumped and took two steps up the metal wall before grabbing a segment of bent pipe and hoisting himself up. The next five minutes were a blur of Mike jumping from pipe to pipe, girder to girder, like a spider monkey. Cass was right behind him; she waited until he was half way up the side of the crawler before mirroring his ascent.

Sarah and Kodiak were slower than the pair, and fifteen minutes later they were they made it to the top. Sarah grunted with effort as she pulled herself up onto to the landing deck with Kodiak following behind, "Did you even _think_ about coming back for the vertibird before you climbed down five levels of twisted steel?"

She was glad to see that he was alive, but she wasn't happy with Mike returning. They had all assumed he'd died in D.C. during a huge super mutant attack on their newest base of operations.

* * *

**2278 February 15****th****:**

The Brotherhood had been fortifying the capitol building for two weeks before they were almost overrun by an unending wave of super mutants. The wave hit three months after Project Purity had begun operation; they had attacked the west and east sides simultaneously. Most of the super mutants were equipped with nothing more than hunting rifles or at worst assault rifles, but a few had come packing some serious firepower. The few were armed with mini guns, missile launchers, and a fat man that Dusk had stopped with a headshot before it had gotten too close.

It was a losing battle on the western end. They had the high ground so at first it seemed they were going to ride out the wave; then the missile launchers arrived, and the Brotherhood started to lose their hold. It was too much ground to cover with the number of soldiers that had been stationed there. The east end was holding, but just barely; the Pride and five paladins were fighting off an endless stream of super mutants. They would have called in air support but the first shot fired was a missile that hit the long range communications relay and had cut off the coms with the Citadel.

Michael had always been one to stay out of harm's way if he could help it. He wasn't a fighter in fact the only reason he was talented with a hunting rifle was because of the BB gun his father had given him on his tenth birthday. He had been more interested in sneaking around, usually into the lower levels of the vault, when nobody was looking.

After an hour of fighting the super mutants it was obvious that the long range coms were unsalvageable. Without telling anyone Mike had taken recon armor and a stealth boy from the storage room. He then escaped out the side door to the nearest metro tunnel. Two vertibirds arrived a half hour later mowing down the super mutants with its forward 30mm cannons.

After the dust settled the vertibirds landed to take the wounded to the Citadel. Sarah asked around the Citadel but it was the paladins stationed at the Washington monument that had delivered the distress message. Weeks passed, then months, and finally after a year he was assumed KIA somewhere in the metro tunnels, but his body was never recovered.

* * *

**2282 October 2****nd****:**

"What's the matter, can't keep up? Hey Mike crack open an MRE, I think somebody needs a snack." Cass taunted from the deck of the crawler. She was skeptical about trusting two people she'd never met; that Michael had only recently remembered. Mike struggling very hard not to laugh, Cass was jealous, but she would shoot him in the foot if he suggested it, and would probably kill Sarah if she said anything.

"Hey now, play nice." Michael taunted back at Cass. He was rewarded with a strong punch to the shoulder. She was jealous. "That's not playing nice Cass." He dodged a few more swings before wrapping her up in his arms in a bear hug. "That's the last straw woman," he tossed her over his shoulder; "you're riding co-pilot." He loaded her into the vertibird ignoring her kicks and punches, and then climbed into the pilot seat.

Sarah and Kodiak loaded themselves into the passenger area. As Sarah climbed in she admired the interior of the vertibird. It looked almost like a home; the cargo area had enough ammunition and food to last the Mike and Cass for a month at least. The passenger area was elevated from the cockpit; very much like the vertibird that flew Mike and the Pride off of the crawler four years ago. They had an elaborate radio broadcasting system that looked like a smaller version of the one in Three Dogs studio. Two bed rolls were bound together and stored under the passenger seats.

"Mike," Sarah called down into the cockpit, "do you remember Amata?" She wasn't sure how it would go over if he remembered her. From what she heard he had some history with Amata. After going back to the vault because of a distress signal Amata had broadcast into the wastes, he had returned to Megaton heartbroken. The conflict had been resolved, but was kicked out again; he wouldn't tell her anything else at the time but Sarah knew Amata had something to do with it.

"Nope." he called back, "She someone I should know?" Michael didn't recognize the name, but the tone in Sarah's voice told him that it was important.

Sarah wasn't sure what to say, so she opted for the truth, "I'm not sure, but I think she was your girlfriend before you left the vault." The vertibird was silent for a full minute before Cass spoke up.

A low growl came from the copilot seat, "…If you had kids with some bitch from a vault, I'll toss you out of this vertibird and fly myself back to the Mojave." Michael knew she wasn't serious. Well he was ninety percent sure she wasn't serious.

"I seriously doubt it; she had something to do with you being kicked out of the vault." She waited for a reaction. "Mike?"

"I don't remember her…" He mumbled, "I'm not sure I want to." The flight to the Citadel was relatively silent apart from a few questions Michael asked Sarah and Kodiak. When they were in range Michael contacted Citadel Command.

Mike called back to the passenger seats, "Sarah, dial me into Citadel Command." He was going to broadcast a message to the Brotherhood; it would be unwise to fly into the Citadel courtyard unannounced.

"Ok," after a short wait the radio crackled to life, "alright Mike, you're on the Citadel Commands channel."

"Thank you," he said as he picked up the hand mic and hailed the Citadel. "Citadel Command this is Guardian-one actual, do you read over." Michael called into the coms, reminding Sarah and Kodiak yet again that this was not the boy that had left the Capitol wasteland. Sarah wondered if the boy she knew was still there, behind the new gruff exterior.

"This is Citadel Command to Guardian-one, you are flying in restricted air space; identify your business in the Capitol Wasteland." A voice Michael recognized as Paladin Bael.

"I have Sentinel Lyons and Paladin Kodiak on board. We are in route to the Citadel, requesting permission to touch down in the courtyard." Michael called back into the coms. There were a few moments of silence before Bael responded.

"Solid copy, permission granted for touch down in the courtyard. Upon landing you will surrender your weapons to the paladin escort and report to the Elder." Bael was delusional if he thought that's the way things would play out. Mike never went anywhere without a firearm, even in a casino he always had a .22 pistol strapped to his torso.

"Roger that," he cut the coms and turned to Cass. "Don't worry, we're not sticking around. We're dropping our guests off and then paying a visit to my hometown." Mike's mind was being constantly blasted with memories as they flew farther into the Capitol Wasteland. He knew he had a home in the town of Megaton which was a little north-west of the Citadel.

"Hold on a second, you're just going to drop us off and leave?" Sarah asked dumbfounded, he said he wanted answers so she thought he was going to ask for a meeting with the elder. "You're not going to stick around; maybe explain where you've been for the past three years."

"No, don't need to; most of the answers I came for are surfacing. It's just a matter of time until I remember everything. You've been invaluable though, memories have been trickling back ever since you said my name. And for that…I thank you." Mike wasn't used to talking at length with anyone other than the Guardians and Cass. With all the memories that had been resurfacing, he needed some time to think. What better place to do so than home. He smiled at thoughts of all his friends in that small town. It would be good to see them again.

Sarah saw his point, if he didn't need their help he'd have no reason to stick around. "Alright, I guess I can't stop you but be careful, Talon Company had tripled the bounty on your head. They think you've been hiding somewhere in the wasteland outside of D.C. If they find out you're back…just be careful alright."

"Don't worry about me." Mike said, flying over top of the Citadel, "I can handle whatever they throw at me. I didn't survive the trip cross country by sneaking past every danger thrown my way." He intended to beef up Megaton's defenses, if only by giving the residents better weapons. The vertibirds were always stocked with extra firepower, nothing crazy but enough to make a difference.

"This is your stop," Mike said to Sarah and Kodiak. "Goodbye, I'll stop by and see you again, I just time to think." He radioed Citadel Command again, "Citadel Command, this Guardian-one. We are dropping off Sentinel Lyons and paladin Kodiak. The sentinel will answer your questions; I'm dusting off and heading to Megaton." He clicked off the coms.

"Stay safe kid," Kodiak warned to mike. Then he addressed Cass for the first time and joked with a grin, "Thanks for not blowing my knees off." He jumped out after Sarah, and when they were a safe distance away from the vertibird the engines roared to life once more and moments later Mike was gone.

* * *

**Above Megaton, 1520 hours.**

He circled Megaton in the vertibird. The town was built on the walls of a crater created by an undetonated nuclear bomb. The walls, houses, and walkways were all constructed from huge parts of old world airplanes.

"Hmm, they tore down Burkes old place." Mike noted seeing the empty space under Lucy West's house. "By the looks of it that leaves enough room to land." He said as he brought the vertibird down, people were running inside and hiding while others grabbed weapons. Mike had expected this reaction and when the touched down he flipped a switch and spoke into an intercom that was connected to an outside speaker.

"I apologize for the unannounced arrival. Lucas, we are with the Brotherhood. Do not open fire; we didn't come here to fight." Mike flipped the switch off and sat back in his seat and hoped that nobody had an itchy trigger finger.

"Well," he said to Cass. "Let's go introduce you to the sheriff."

Mike got up out of his seat and climbed into the passenger area gathering his battle rifle, extra magazines and set his helmet down in the pilot seat. He strapped the battle rifle on his back and placed the magazines into his belt.

"This town has a sheriff?" Cass asked with a raised eyebrow, "It looks like a bunch of tin houses."

"It might not be much, but it's home." Mike replied as he opened up the door and hoped out into the center of Megaton. Everyone's eyes were on the two strangers that flew a vertibird into the town center. Mike looked up at the walkways and saw familiar faces. He saw Billy Creel with his hand on his .44, next to him was Jerico holding his Chinese assault rifle.

"You two!" shouted Lucas Simms walking down past the bomb in the center of town. "I don't know who you think you are, but you got no right…" He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who the man was. "…Mike, is that you." He stared in disbelief.

"That's what they tell me." He replied, not looking at Simms but around at everyone that was staring. People were starting to come out of their homes after the long pause without gun fire. Many of the people there seemed to recognize Mike and a few seemed happy to see him.

Mike turned back to Lucas, "It's good to see you again Lucas." He walked to the sheriff and held his hand out. "It's been too long."

He slowly took Mikes hand then his face lit up with a smile. "It's good to see you too Mike. It's been a long time, where've you been."

"He took a trip cross country to the west coast, name's Cass by the way. He tells me he's got a place we can crash for the night." She said looking around.

"He does indeed, and don't worry I haven't sold it off or let anyone inside. It should be just the way you left it. I figured you might be back one of these days." The sheriff said cheerfully. "I'm not sure how safe you ride's going to be in the center of town though."

"Don't worry about the vertibird, it'll be locked down tight. I brought some toys from the Mojave, figured I'd lend them to Megaton seeing as you're still using that old Chinese rifle; is Stockholm still up there?" Mike asked gesturing up towards the Megaton entrance.

"Last time I checked he was, and what do you mean by toys. You've got weapons your selling?" the sheriff asked.

"Not selling, he's donating them, and I can see why. If that's what you use to protect the town than your about one big raider attack away from disaster."

Lucas thought about it for a moment before replying, "Well if you've got some spare weapons they'd be much appreciated, we're overdue for an upgrade and Crow doesn't carry anything heavyer than what we've got."

Mike and Cass spent the next hour and a half unloading the backup weapons from the cargo hold in the vertibird. There wasn't anything over the top there was an anti-material rifle for Stockholm, and battle rifles for the rest; all standard issue for UMA soldiers. When it all was handed out Mike made his way into his old home with Cass in tow.

"Not much, but it's better than sleeping in the vertibird." Mike said with a grin. He shrugged off his bag and set it in the corner. He saw an old radio on a book case filled with prewar literature. "I guess I was a bit of a reader." He said as he turned on the radio.

The last bit of a song ended and then the radio host came on the air. "Because one dog ain't enough, and two is too low, it's me, Three Dog. Amazing news children, I've just got wind, from the boys in steel guarding the station that the crazy kid from Vault 101 is back! Word is he flew in this morning, that's right children, he came back in style. After dropping off two members of the Lyons Pride at the Citadel he flew back home to Megaton. Now I have just as many questions as you do. Why's he back, where'd he go, and how'd he get that vertibird? If you're out there kid, stop by the station and give old Three Dog the scoop. That's all for now children, this is Three Dog, Bawoooooo. Now for some music." And just like that a song echoed throughout the small home.

"Mother fucker." Mike growled under his breath. The entire wasteland was now aware of his presence, for better or worse. No doubt that'd stir up some trouble that he'd hoped to avoid before the first day back. He sat in a chair holding his face in his hands and took a deep breath. "Not one day and now the entire wasteland knows I'm back…"

* * *

Review, criticize, pitch ideas, point out minor errors and/or plot holes. I want everybody who takes the time to read this to have an effect on the story. As always thank you for reading and stay tuned.

_Will Mike find the answers he came for? What about his friends from Vault 101? Tune in next time to find out!_


	5. Chapter 4

**Outside Megaton 0500 hours**

"Alright boys, we finally found the little bastard. And in a few hours when we give his head to Mr. Littlehorn, we'll never have to work again for the rest of our lives. Those fifteen thousand caps are as good as ours." Commander Jabsco sneered. "He's also got a girlfriend according to the Brotherhood." He had confirmed the Lone Wanderers presence via Brotherhood radio chatter, as well as his affections for the woman he showed up with. The Brotherhood loved to gossip when they weren't fighting super mutants.

When he heard Three Dog announcing the return of the Lone Wanderer and his trip to Megaton. He had mobilized immediately and with twenty men he was confident he could bypass Megatons 'security'; which he thought to be one robot, a sharpshooter above the entrance, and the sheriff. His plan was to use the 'shock and awe' tactic to bring down the gate and take out the sniper at the same time with a well-timed missile barrage.

"Let's do it, while everybody's still asleep. They'll never know what hit 'em." One of the men in black combat armor said with malice in his voice. Years ago during a failed attempt on Mikes life, star paladin Cross had gunned down his brother, and he was thirsty for revenge.

"Alright boys, fire the missles!" Jabsco ordered.

The silence of the early morning air was shattered by the scream of three missles that slammed into Megaton's front gate. The old rusty metal was no match for the explosives, and when the dust settled the gate was no more.

**Mike's house, 0450 hours**

Mike woke up in an unfamiliar lumpy bed in a room was made from rusty sheets of scrap metal and wood. After a moment's thought he realized he was back in his house in the town of Megaton, back home. He looked to his right and the sight brought a smile to his face; Cass was next to him with her head on his shoulder and her arm across his chest. He wanted to stay there forever, but like all men he had to pee. He gently woke her with a kiss and she cracked an eye open.

"Can't you just hold it?" She asked; he shook his head, "Well hurry back then, before I get cold."

The robot butler that had been in the house was almost as annoying as Yes Man, constantly getting in the way when they'd climb up or down the stairs. So he deactivated him and rested him in the corner of the first floor beside some lockers he used as storage. As he relieved himself thoughts of finally finding peace and somewhere to settle down flowed into his mind. Megaton was a fairly safe town with Lucas keeping order and Stockholm guarding the gate. Maybe, just maybe Cass and him could settle down and plant roots. They had admitted to each other recently that they were tired of all the killing and violence that came with their occupations. "Maybe this is the place," he said to himself, thinking of all his friends that lived here. Lucas and Billy both were raising children here, and if it was safe enough for them, it was safe enough for him. "Maybe I've finally found it." He smiled to himself. He checked his pipboy and saw what time it was, he could stay in bed but he'd never fall back asleep. Cass had apparently thought the same thing because when he entered the bedroom she was halfway dressed.

"I'm glad we're both early risers, I was just thinking about getting ready to head out." He said as he started to dress in his combat gear. "I should head back to the Citadel and give them the full story. They'll want it eventually, might as well be sooner than later. You coming with me or do you want to stay? There's a bar up on the north end." He strapped on the last knee plate and looked at Cass but right before she answered there were three huge explosions that shook the foundation of his house. His eyes went wide; nobody was awake and the town was under attack. He grabbed his battle rifle, revolver, and helmet. He was out the door with Cass behind him in seconds. What he saw horrified him, Talon Company mercenaries were streaming in from a hole in the main gate. They were gunning down the half-dressed citizens that were stumbling out of their homes still half asleep. The mercs were climbing up toward Craterside Supply and .

Mike spurred into action, "Cass I need you to follow that walkway and organize people." He yelled pointing at the walkway that would lead her past all of the homes before the saloon. He rounded the corner of his home and was greeted by a hail of bullets from a Chinese assault rifle and a man screaming "I found him!"

Mike was forced back behind the corner of his house, "Fuck you!" he shouted tossing a frag grenade down toward the advancing mercenary. He checked behind him and saw that Cass had already directed Jerico and Lucy in his direction.

"Hey kid, it's been a while." Jericho said as he squeezed off a few rounds into the chest of one of the Talon's. "Are these Talon boys' friends of yours?" The ex-raider asked.

"Now's not the time for sarcasm Jericho!" Lucy yelled, her gun spewing lead into a cluster of black combat armor.

"Keep firing and hold them here. If they push up past the ramp fall back to Jericho's house," He ordered. "I'm gonna go find Billy and let Deputy Steel out of the armory." He didn't wait for a response before sprinting as fast as he dared down the path that he'd sent Cass. The twisting and turning of the metal pathway made it hard to move quickly but he met up with her at the Common house as she was getting people behind the saloon for shelter.

"Cass, are you alright?" he asked slightly out of breath, she nodded still giving directions to the panicked mass of people. "Go back to the house, there's a blonde woman and a bald guy fighting, don't let them get pushed back this far. I'm going around full circle and we'll pinch them off at the entrance."

"Alright just be quick about it." She yelled at him as she helped the last person out of the house. She ran back the way she came heading toward Jericho and Lucy.

Mike sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him to the armory and threw himself against the door. It caved inward and he skidded across the floor a few feet before coming to a stop. "What the fuck are you doing in my armory shit stain?!" A fuming mechanical voice bellowed. "Get up and out before I lose my temper!"

"Deputy Steel, the commies are invading Megaton, we need your help to fight them off. They've disguised themselves in black combat armor, what are your orders sir?" Mike played the part of a prewar American soldier to make the situation fit Steel's programing. It worked like a charm because in no time flat Steel was out the door barking orders and firing bolts of green plasma at the marauders. It would've been funnier if everyone wasn't in danger.

Mike ran outside to the railing; he was now directly across from the gate and fired a full clip at the mercs who had rushed into the crater. He saw the body of doc Church and several citizens down by the entrance of the clinic. "You fucking bastards!" Mike screamed which attracted most of their attention.

Billy Creel showed up beside the livid courier firing his .44 scoped revolver, "Go get Moria before they get to her!" he ordered. "I'll keep an eye on the gate." He said with a grin. If he wasn't so angry Mike might have laughed at the silly joke. Billy had lost his right eye fighting raiders a long time ago. They were the same raiders that he fought when he found and rescued Maggie. He made light of it all the time with jokes and puns, but now was not the time to be laughing.

Four of the scumbags were outside of Moria's shop, Craterside supply; but there was no direct path down to the store. So Mike jumped from the railing through the air and onto the platform below. He aimed for something soft and fleshy to cushion his fall. Gravity took care of the rest and he felt a spine break under his boot. Continuing his attack he rolled to his feet swinging his battle rifle like a bat. The stock smashed into the head of a man standing in front of him; two down two to go. He rolled to his left around the corner of the store, away from the hail of assault rifle fire. He paused and then rounded the corner; revolver in hand he snapped off two quick shots and put bullets between the eyes of the attackers.

He picked up his battle rifle and killed three more that were standing on the roof of the clinic. He heard something behind him and spun around just in time to see a merc lunge at him with a combat knife. The merc had made it all the way up to the water processing plant and had run out of ammo. So he tried to surprise Mike by coming up behind him. The only thing that had saved Mike from being used as a pin cushion was the fact that they were both walking on metal in combat boots.

Mike was tackled to the floor and rolled around struggling for control. Pinned on his back with the combat knife pointed at his heart; his foe used all of his weight to push it down. No matter how hard he pushed back, the knife kept descending towards his chest. It slipped between the plates of his armor and Mike felt warm blood flowing across his chest. The merc started laughing but was silenced by a shotgun blast that caved in the right side of his head. Mike rolled the limp body off of him and pulled the knife out from between the plates.

Moria appeared at his side, "It's a good thing I showed up when I did huh? You've been back less than twenty four hours and you're already flirting with death." She jabbed a stimpak and some med-x where the wound was. "Now get back up! They're still here!"

"Thanks Moria." Mike grunted as he stood up, grabbing his battle rifle he walked over to the railing and, ignoring the pain that the recoil caused, fired another clip into the cluster of enemies that had climbed down into the crater. He descended onto the roof of the clinic ready to pinch the invaders off at the bottle neck that the entrance created. Now came the hard part; Talon Company had the high ground and Mike had to push them out. Having only two directions to go and backwards not an option, he fired the last four shots in his revolver hitting three in the chest. He hit one merc in the knee blowing the leg off and sending him rolling head over heel screaming down into the crater. He ducked behind the ramp to the top of the clinic to reload his revolver when the gunfire stopped. He peeked back out of cover and his heart sank. Commander Jabsco and seven Talon company mercs had Lucy and Cass at gunpoint.

"I've got to say Mike I'm impressed, we came here thinking this would be easy. Then you cut down half my men without so much as a scratch on the chest." Jabsco yelled down from the front gate. "I'll tell ya what, if you drop by the scrapyard south of Minetown by this time tomorrow…I'll let 'em go. And don't think about ridin' in guns a blazin', because they won't be there, they'll be back at our place waitin' for the word, that the Lone Wanderer's turned himself in." Mike was cornered with no way out of this mess. "One more thing, if I so much as think you're following us, I'll bring your girlfriends pretty little head right to your front door." He left Megaton with the rest of his men yelling, "Twenty-four hours Mike, the choice is yours!"

Mike sat in stunned silence for a moment before he heard someone grunt in pain. He followed the noise down to the center of the crater and saw the one legged man reaching for his rifle. Mike stood up and walked down into the crater, making the dying man scramble for his weapon. He raised his revolver and instead of blowing the mercs brains out like he wanted to, he shot the rifle rendering it useless.

The one legged man spat defiantly, "You think you scare me, ha!" but his eye's betrayed him. He was terrified of the killing machine in front of him and Mike knew it. He started to speak but was cut off by the butt of a revolver Mike pistol whipped his across the temple. Everyone was staring at Mike as he ran to his vertibird and came back with a knee plate and a blow torch. He turned on the torch and heated the plate to a nice healthy orange glow. Then he cauterized the stump where his leg was severed, stopping the blood flow.

Billy made it down to where Mike was working and asked, "You think you can actually get some answers outta this prick?"

"That's what I intend to do." Mike said coldly. "And if not I'll track Jabsco back to his little hole in the ground." He grabbed the unconscious man by his shirt collar and dragged him up the hill to his home. Dropping him in front of his door, "Billy…I need you to stay here and make sure he doesn't go anywhere, I'll be right back."

Mike ran toward Lucy's house and found Jericho, who was barely conscious, with a four bullet holes in his stomach. He was slumped over two dead bodies, one with a hole in its head and the other with a knife in it's throat. He was wheezing for breath but managed to choke out, "I'm sorry kid, I shoulda' seen it coming." He passed out and went limp. Mike worked as quickly as he could to patch up Jericho's stomach with a doctors bag. Then he dragged the ex-raider back to his home. He had plans and none of them included turning himself in.

"Ok Billy, go find Simms and-"

"Simms is dead." Billy said a single tear in his eye. He and the sheriff had become close friends due to their children playing together all the time. "Stockholm, Doc Church, Deputy Weld," he continued but Mike wasn't listening. He was in shock that his home had been destroyed and his friends killed. All because he came back to spend the night; everyone would want him dead for this.

He looked past Billy and saw the mercenary who was responsible for all the death and destruction. "Billy, we need to gather the wounded in the center of the crater. I'll fix 'em up before dealing with the trash." He gestured towards the unconscious man beside the door to his home.

* * *

High above the wastes flew a vertibird much like the one the Courier had flown out of the Mojave. On the tail was the emblem of the Guardians; a frontal profile of a cazador wearing a combat helmet. There were two battle rifles crossed underneath its stinger and two revolvers crossed above the helmet.

"Mammas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys." A pair of Guardians started singing in unison from the passenger area of a UMA vertibird.

"Dammit you two, I said pick a different song!" Mitch yelled from the pilot seat, causing a bout of laughter from Neil and Ashley.

"Cuz I got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle." Neil started off the song.

"Jingle Jangle." Ashley sang filling in the chorus.

"That's more like it, one mile out till we find the Couriers bird…eta about one minute thirty seconds. Hold on! I'm getting something on the radio." Mitch yelled for them to be quiet.

"…On Megaton this morning. That's right children, the lone wanderer's been back for less than twenty four hours and trouble's already finding him. He may have saved the town, but he was also the cause of the massacre that Talon Company carried out…that's all for now. Stay strong children, and help out the survivors of Megaton if you can, now time for some music." A song started playing and Mitch turned off the radio.

"Am I the only one thinking that this 'Lone Wanderer' might also be the Courier?" Ashley asked, voicing what they were all thinking.

"Maybe, we can't rule anything out until we find him though." Mitch concluded. "Holy shit I might have eyes on Megaton, the town gate's been blown to pieces and I have eyes on the Couriers vertibird. Prep for drop off you two, we're landing."

Neil and Ashley stood up and checked over their gear making sure they had everything and it was all strapped down tight. "Dirt in five seconds!" Mitch called back.

"And that song ain't so very far from wrong." Ashley mumbled under her breath as the back hatch opened up as the vertibird touched down in front of Megaton.

* * *

**Authors Note:** To those of you thought Neil and Mitch were just filler characters, I decided that they could be too funny to waste like that.

Megaton is in ruins, Cass and Lucy have been taken prisoner, and with only twenty four hours to act what will Michael do? Tune in next time to find out!


End file.
